Canada’s consul in New York billed taxpayers hundreds of dollars for wine-soaked meals with former media colleagues, despite federal rules forbidding alcohol expenses without high-level approval.
Blacklock's Reporter says expense records show Tom Clark, a former CTV anchor turned diplomat, repeatedly claimed liquor charges during meetings he described as official business.
In one 2023 claim, Clark described a late-night dinner with two senior Canadian journalists, one from CTV and the other from CBC, as a way to “touch base” and discuss “collaborative opportunities” and the “situation in D.C.”
The $384 tab included $210 spent on wine. Names of the guests were redacted from the documents obtained through Access To Information.
Another record shows Clark hosted two members of the Canadian Journalism Foundation at his Park Avenue penthouse, also in 2023. The catered lunch with wine totaled $362, and Clark described the purpose as exploring “partnership opportunities.”
In a separate 2024 claim, Clark said he took an unnamed CBC journalist to lunch at the Harvard Club in Manhattan to assess the U.S. political climate. That bill also appeared to include alcohol, though details were redacted by the Department of Foreign Affairs as “personal information.”
According to Treasury Board guidelines, bar bills can only be covered by taxpayers with express ministerial approval.
“Managers do not have the authority to approve hospitality that includes alcoholic beverages,” said spokesperson Rola Salem.
Approval must come from a minister or someone delegated by the minister, and only for diplomacy, protocol, or similar justifiable reasons.
The 2020 Treasury Board guide on travel and hospitality cautions employees to consider whether their expenses could withstand public scrutiny. It urges public servants to ask themselves if Canadians would find the spending necessary to achieve departmental goals.
Clark, who earns $205,000 annually, was appointed consul in Manhattan in 2023. He is the only official at the New York post to have his spending reviewed by a parliamentary committee after signing off on the purchase of an $8.8 million penthouse as his official residence.
The Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the expense claims.